Quote from: oz353 on December 17, 2011, 12:10:39 AM
Just curious as to how many folks out there ride with some music.
do you wear ear buds? or some niffty contraption in your helmet? Loud...soft? one ear....two?

me personally i have only ridden one time... on my moms yamaha 250 exciter. thus i have no input and hence the question.
i would like to ride with some good music playing in my ear. however as a new rider this will come MUCH  later after i gain confidence and experience.

long rides = smartphone and earbuds

short ride = ear plugs

getting gas = no plugs

smartphones have spoiled me: with the engine off, stopped on the side of the road, I can yell at my pocket "Navigate to Little River Canyon" (one of my contacts) and it will play turn by turn directions. The TBT mutes whatever music is playing, announces the next turn, and keeps whatever set volume I have without roaring in with "TURN LEFT 1000 FEET!".

different volume levels for notifications, phone calls(which I don't take, but it rings), music, and lastly navigation are key. android phones have this done very very nicely.

for music, i like trance, calm and quiet. like background music in a coffee house. the death metal is just annoying on a nice road.

if you use buds, get noise canceling good for 30decibels if you can find them, and keep the volume down.

my personal experience is I cannot hear a car or their horn/siren when i'm in the air flow above 45-50 mph anyway, so it's not a safety issue. ymmv. interstate travel means i really want either the plugs or buds, it makes it much less annoying. trails riding on the DRZ means i really want ear plugs.

riding without any hearing protection is a guaranteed hearing loss, eventually.

Quote from: mister on December 17, 2011, 06:46:59 PM
I don't listen to music when I ride. Thought I'd give it a go though, to see what it was like. Would have needed to have the music up too loud to overcome wind noise at speed - which means it would be too loud for around town speeds that it would be damaging. Plus, it masks any Odd noises I might hear from my engine, as well as other things which might mean my survival.

I don't wear them when walking down the street for this reason either. Why mask one of my survival senses?

Michael

Because you can't hear a car approaching at 80+ MPH anyway. I can barely hear a car at 35 MPH. I can't hear my bike at all over the wind.

It's called mirrors and eyes and when it comes to your own bike, feel.

Almost always with MP3 from my Zumo (Etymotics Reasearch noise excluding buds) or Scala Rider intercom.  Totally used to it and no issues at all.  Even deaf people can ride safely.  I ride like that in VA too, didn't know of any restricitons other than no radar detection.

prs

Quote from: Dr.McNinja on December 19, 2011, 09:07:33 AM

Quote from: mister on December 17, 2011, 06:46:59 PM
I don't listen to music when I ride. Thought I'd give it a go though, to see what it was like. Would have needed to have the music up too loud to overcome wind noise at speed - which means it would be too loud for around town speeds that it would be damaging. Plus, it masks any Odd noises I might hear from my engine, as well as other things which might mean my survival.

I don't wear them when walking down the street for this reason either. Why mask one of my survival senses?

Michael

Because you can't hear a car approaching at 80+ MPH anyway. I can barely hear a car at 35 MPH. I can't hear my bike at all over the wind.

It's called mirrors and eyes and when it comes to your own bike, feel.

You cannot hear your bike over wind noise? Somehow I think that is not quite accurate. Ear plugs or none, I can hear both my bikes over wind noise. If the noise is so loud you cannot even hear your bike, you need a new helmet cause that level noise is doing you damage. And if your bike is that loud how LOUD are you playing music to mask that wind noise. Your ears would be taking an absolute pounding.

Of course I cannot hear a car approaching. Neither did I say I could. Re-read what I wrote.

Michael

Quote from: mister on December 19, 2011, 01:39:28 PM

Quote from: Dr.McNinja on December 19, 2011, 09:07:33 AM

Quote from: mister on December 17, 2011, 06:46:59 PM
I don't listen to music when I ride. Thought I'd give it a go though, to see what it was like. Would have needed to have the music up too loud to overcome wind noise at speed - which means it would be too loud for around town speeds that it would be damaging. Plus, it masks any Odd noises I might hear from my engine, as well as other things which might mean my survival.

I don't wear them when walking down the street for this reason either. Why mask one of my survival senses?

Michael

Because you can't hear a car approaching at 80+ MPH anyway. I can barely hear a car at 35 MPH. I can't hear my bike at all over the wind.

It's called mirrors and eyes and when it comes to your own bike, feel.

You cannot hear your bike over wind noise? Somehow I think that is not quite accurate. Ear plugs or none, I can hear both my bikes over wind noise. If the noise is so loud you cannot even hear your bike, you need a new helmet cause that level noise is doing you damage. And if your bike is that loud how LOUD are you playing music to mask that wind noise. Your ears would be taking an absolute pounding.

Of course I cannot hear a car approaching. Neither did I say I could. Re-read what I wrote.

Michael

I second what Michael has written. Of course you can't hear a car but you should be able to hear your bike. With tunes on there is a good chance you will not hear sirens approaching in the distance, or horns to alert you to issues that your eyes and mirrors have missed. Then there is the whole question of how badly are you killing your hearing.

It is the same reason I don't use it when I walk/run/train. Awareness. You miss vital clues on what is happening around us. As creatures we are stupid to rely on our eyesight alone to keep us safe. Our hearing works very well (next to a cat or dog it doesn't) so why not use it instead of abusing it.

Quote from: twocool on December 17, 2011, 05:16:53 AM

Quote from: oz353 on December 17, 2011, 12:10:39 AM
Just curious as to how many folks out there ride with some music.
do you wear ear buds? or some niffty contraption in your helmet? Loud...soft? one ear....two?

me personally i have only ridden one time... on my moms yamaha 250 exciter. thus i have no input and hence the question.
i would like to ride with some good music playing in my ear. however as a new rider this will come MUCH  later after i gain confidence and experience.

Story from long ago....

Back in the day, car stereos were getting very popular and very fancy.....there were car stero places popping up on just about every street corner, where you could get your "huge" system installed  in your car (to listen to radio, and cassette.....(CD or MP3 not even invented yet)

I went to my local "Tech Hi Fi" store to look at car stereos.........the store manager was in there talking to a "big bucks" customer...the customer asked the manager "What kind of car stereo do you have in YOUR car?...(figuring the manager would know the best, and have the best).

The manager owned an old Alfa Romeo.  He  made a funny face, and replied, "Huh?  I don't have a stereo in my car.....I LISTEN TO THE ENGINE when I drive....I don't want a radio!.....If I want to hear good music, I do that at home in my living room, where I have the best sound system money can buy."

Cookie

Now that's an awesome gearhead answer!! 

As for me, I did the same as mister...tried it once and had to have it so loud to hear it at hiway speeds that it was blaring in my ears when I was in town...

my commute is about 20mins at 115kph, then through town for another 10mins...ear plugs all the time, they cut the wind noise but I can still hear a car roll past me...and with the new bike I don't want to hear anything but the motor 

Later.

I don't usually wear headphones, but I'm installing speakers in my fairings for the spring. My buddy did this last year, and with the set-up he's got , he can hear his music fine @ highway speeds. Keep in mind he rides a liter bike, so thats probably a hell of a lot louder/faster than any of us will be going.

Seems like a good compromise between safety, comfort, and awesomeness.

I rode with tunes for a brief period, now I just stick to ear plugs. That wind noise is doing more damage than you may think 

I do this from time to time. Learned my lesson with Rammstein and Minor Threat: NO listening to that stuff on the bike. Makes me feel the need for speed too much. Bob Marley is what I listen to, if at all. I use sound-isolating earbuds which help with wind noise. Normally I ride with earplugs to mitigate the wind noise. I have tinnitus from too much loud stuff, including long Jeep trips with no top or doors. Biggest complaint about music on a ride is no easy way to adjust volume or skp tracks. So I mostly go plugs only.

Ride safe!

Quote from: Zwerski on December 23, 2011, 09:12:30 AMBiggest complaint about music on a ride is no easy way to adjust volume or skp tracks. So I mostly go plugs only.

I saw an interesting youtube video the other day, someone had mounted an ipod shuffle to a strap around their wrist, so the wires ran up their arm to their ear. It poked out between the gloves and the arm on the jacket. Seems like a very good idea, it has buttons so you can probably operate it with gloves without an issue, and it's small enough so you wouldn't really notice it.

If I can find some really decent noise cancelling earbuds, I might try this out

Quote from: tricky on December 23, 2011, 09:55:04 AMI saw an interesting youtube video the other day, someone had mounted an ipod shuffle to a strap around their wrist, so the wires ran up their arm to their ear. It poked out between the gloves and the arm on the jacket. Seems like a very good idea, it has buttons so you can probably operate it with gloves without an issue, and it's small enough so you wouldn't really notice it.

If I can find some really decent noise cancelling earbuds, I might try this out

Correct, the Ipod Shuffle clipped to the cuff strap or the opening of the sleeve was the most convenient for me and with very little practice can be operated with a gloved left hand.
http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/

Verry nice idea with the shuffle. Is it waterproof?

I use the phone in my jacket pocket, ziplock bag

Maybe it's a noob thing but i'm always listening to the engine. It's my first bike and i'm still getting used to the different sounds it makes. I don't particularly like the sound of the GS......it just sounds like it could break any moment.

Quote from: Dresnewtoy on December 24, 2011, 09:46:09 AM
Maybe it's a noob thing but i'm always listening to the engine. It's my first bike and i'm still getting used to the different sounds it makes. I don't particularly like the sound of the GS......it just sounds like it could break any moment.

In the end I came to the conclusion that I could not really enjoy listening to music while I rode, so it's 100% ear plugs for me, in town, even on 80cc scooterz. Your doing the right thing 

Without plugs the engine sounds a certain way. With ear plugs it sounds slightly different.

I believe it is harder to hear your own thoughts with music blaring - besides horns, emergency vehicles, etc. Harder to concentrate. To focus. I think it is safer to ride without tunes.

Michael

Having only put 600~ miles on the bike, I know I shouldn't have music going. But, like others have said, it can really help me concentrate. Dubstep and adderall, keeping me ultra-focused on every ride 

My MSF instructor said not to ride with Music in your ears. I'm gonna go with what someone does for a living, says. His teachings have saved me MANY times as newb, I have not ended up anywhere that I didn't wanna be yet to this date! Now I haven't been riding for very long. Actually Ive only been driving a car for ALMOST a year now. 21 more days... lol. I'm a youngster, Never have road a motorcycle before, So I'm doing exactly what the MSF instructors taught me. And he said "Don't ride with music in your ears" There for. I shall not. Its up to you people. But I like to hear my Fast paced lawn mower!

Quote from: NoSecrets913 on January 01, 2012, 09:04:40 PM
Having only put 600~ miles on the bike, I know I shouldn't have music going. But, like others have said, it can really help me concentrate. Dubstep and adderall, keeping me ultra-focused on every ride 

I fail to see how blaring music can HELP you focus. Might make you wanna go faster - but it interferes with your thought processes and is actually a hindrance to thinking not a boost to it.

Michael

Quote from: mister on January 02, 2012, 03:06:13 AM

Quote from: NoSecrets913 on January 01, 2012, 09:04:40 PM
Having only put 600~ miles on the bike, I know I shouldn't have music going. But, like others have said, it can really help me concentrate. Dubstep and adderall, keeping me ultra-focused on every ride 

I fail to see how blaring music can HELP you focus. Might make you wanna go faster - but it interferes with your thought processes and is actually a hindrance to thinking not a boost to it.

Michael

I know, I am an oddity. I find my mind wandering if I don't have something playing. It keeps me pretty calm, too.
....Until the bass drops, and I drop down a gear 
God, I love having a motorcycle now. Closest thing I can find to the adrenaline rush of speed skiing